A Tale of Woe
by GoldSilver02
Summary: Edmund never meant to hurt Susan. Edmund tells Susan about Caspian getting married. AU, kind of. Some spoilers too…kind of.


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Disclaimer: I own nothing. Wish I did though.

Summary: Edmund never meant to hurt Susan. Edmund tells Susan about Caspian getting married. AU, kind of. Some spoilers too…kind of.

* * *

A Tale of Woe

One shot

He never thought that he could stand going to Narnia without Susan and Peter. It wasn't in their nature. Wherever one went, the other three followed. It had always been that way. Except, now, it wasn't. Now, Edmund Pevensie, was stuck with the job of telling his older sister the last thing she probably wanted to hear.

It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter either. Peter was bent on not telling Susan at all. "I don't want to see her hurt again." The oldest Pevensie sibling said.

"I don't want to be the one that makes her cry." Lucy had said.

That left him. The odd one out. The one who was supposed to die a traitor. "Why am I the one who always gets stuck in these situations?" Edmund had asked. "Do you honestly think that _I_ want to be the reason that she's hurt again, or the reason why she's going to be crying for months afterwards?" The other two wouldn't budge. Edmund let out a sigh. "If she yells at me," he warned them, "I'm skinning the both of you alive."

He knew that he should have hit that damned Prince (no wait-sorry) _King_ Caspian when he had the chance.

* * *

She was sitting outside on the grass when he finally found her. She was sitting on a blanket with a book in her lap. Her long black hair cascaded down her back in a single braid. She was in a dress. It was long and blue. He knew that it would match her eyes brilliantly.

He looked up at the house and saw at the top window, his other two siblings's, watching. Sending a glare their way, he walked towards Susan. He came to stand beside her. She looked at him and instantly pushed to the side to make room for him. He took the seat on the blanket, next to her. "Hi, Su." He said quietly.

"Ed," she replied back. "What can I help you with?"

He shrugged. "Nothing really." He said. He knew that he was stalling but it really wasn't like he was looking forward to saying what he was about to say. "I was just wondering how you've been and all."

She nodded slowly and looked at him. "I've been fine." She told him.

'_Liar.'_ A voice in his mind said. "That's good." Was what he really said. He looked at her book. "What's that you're reading?" He knew what book she was reading. It was a worn out copy of it. Some of the pages were falling out from the amount of times that it had been opened and closed. More than likely by Susan because Edmund knows that Peter wouldn't be caught dead reading that book and Edmund himself wasn't particular interested in learning about two star-crossed lovers who could never be. Lucy once tried reading it before she threw it down in frustration and began to, instead, play chess with Edmund. _Romeo and Juliet_ stared up at him.

He didn't allow himself to dwell in the harsh irony of it all.

"I know that you didn't come to see what book I was reading." Susan said. "And I know that you, Lu and Peter are hiding something from me. I just wish that you would actually tell me what it is."

He stayed quiet for a long while. Not really knowing what to say to her. "Lucy and I…and Eustace, went to Narnia, while we were away." Edmund told her. He watched her nod, her eyes growing wide. He could read the question in her eyes. "We saw Caspian. He's King now."

"That's wonderful!" Susan exclaimed.

Edmund could hear the forced enthusiasm and dreaded to tell her the next part. "The thing is Su, is that Caspian-well he's- I mean, what I'm trying to say is that…" He trailed off looking back at the house where Peter and Lucy were still glued next to the window. He looked back at his sister. She was staring at him with those blue eyes that he would love to see shine like they used to. He noticed the spark of hope in her eyes and he felt like the lowest of scum's for what he was about to do to her. "He's getting married to Ramadu's daughter. He's a star." He added softly.

"Well, if one was to get married, it would do them well to be married to the daughter of a star." Susan said after a long pause. She smiled weakly at him.

"Susan, please…" Edmund began. He stopped. What was he supposed to say? _Sorry, that the one man you __**could**__ have loved is getting married to someone else? _No, he didn't think so_. _"Susan, are you going to be alright?" He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She brought a hand and light tapped his. "Of course. I'll be fine."

He could see the sadness in her eyes. He could see that her blue eyes (that once shined _so_ brightly) were quickly filling up with tears. He felt a wrench at his heart and he almost doubled over by the shock of it._That._ That was the reason why he didn't want to be the one to tell her. "Susan,"

"Ed," she interrupted. "I think I would like to be alone. Just for a little bit."

Edmund quietly got up and dusted his trousers of with his hands. "For what's it worth," he said. "Lucy and I have apparently finished our journey in Narnia as well. We won't be going back either."

He turned around and walked away. Her voice was not above a whisper but it carried with the wind and wrapped itself in his ears. "That's what I'm afraid." Was what the whisper had said.

He didn't look back. He found that he _couldn't_ look back. Reaching the house he could start to hear her choked sobs. Hand on the handle of the door, he took a chance and looked back. Her shoulders were shaking, that much he could see. The worn out book, or play rather, was discarded next to her. Left alone on the side, while the wind picked up the pieces of loose pages and Edmund watched as they floated in different directions. He narrowed his eyes as a piece of parchment floated past him. He snatched it out of the wind's grasp and looked down at it.

His eyes were instantly drawn to the last stanza. His lips pressed themselves in a firm line and he sighed sadly. The sun was shining and although it was hot, the cool breeze was a welcomed change. He glanced towards his sister one last time and slowly walked into the house.

* * *

He took his time walking up the stairs. Each one creaking louder than the other. Once he had finally reached the top he turned to his left and walked towards the room, that he knew he would find Peter and Lucy in. The piece of rough parchment still in hand, he walked through the doors.

Peter and Lucy looked up when they heard him come in. Edmund walked towards where they were sitting. Even from up there, in that small room with an even smaller window, he could see Susan's shoulder's shake and he could only imagine her cries. He silently pressed the piece of parchment into Peter's hands. He watched Susan through the window while Peter read the last stanza, the same one that Edmund first saw, aloud;

_A glooming peace this morning with it brings;  
The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head:  
Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things;  
Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished:  
For never was a story of more woe  
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo._

"That's so sad." Lucy commented, still looking out the window at their distraught sister. "It's not fair." She said her voice breaking. "I want her to be happy." She looked at her two brothers. Her eyes landed on Peter. "Peter! Ed! _He_ could have made her happy!" Their youngest sibling collapsed in Peter's arms while she cried for Susan's sadness. "Why is it not possible for her to be happy?"

Peter nor Edmund had an answer to that.

"Do you remember after the first Telmarine fight…at the castle?" Peter asked. "Afterwards Caspian and I got into a fight."

"We remember." Edmund said. Not wanting to revisit what came _after_ that fight. Sometimes he felt that he could still feel the ice creep through his veins.

"Well, I was just thinking…I should have hit him when I had the chance." Peter finished.

Edmund didn't bother to tell his brother that he had thought the same thing earlier. He just kept staring out the window at Susan while she cried. He heard Lucy cry while Peter more than likely whispered meaningless comforts in her ear…and all the while Edmund kept hoping that maybe, just maybe, they could all be happy again.

Because Edmund Pevensie was starting to forget about the times when the four of them were actually _truly_ happy. And he didn't like that feeling one bit.

* * *

So Ben Barnes? Yeah, he's freaking gorgeous. Loved him. Loved Prince Caspian actually. That whole movie was great.

Anyways I hoped that everyone liked this!

Thanks for reading!

Yours Truly

Godsilver02


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